Former Clay standout Cliff Avril is right at home with Seahawks

RENTON, WASH. | Former Clay High standout Cliff Avril had to wait to make his anticipated debut with the Seattle Seahawks.

It was worth it for Avril, a Times-Union Super 24 selection in 2003.

The 27-year-old Avril sacked San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, stripping the ball out, during the second quarter of Seattle’s pivotal 29-3 win at home over the 49ers Sunday night. Avril’s forced fumble was recovered by linebacker K.J. Wright and was one of the turning points of the game.

Now, he’ll try to build off that effort when the Jaguars (0-2) travel to Seattle (2-0) for Sunday’s game.

“It was amazing,” Avril said. “I was happy to get out there and make some plays. I wanted to get the confidence of my teammates.”

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Avril missed the preseason and the regular-season opener against Carolina dealing with a hamstring injury.

“We’re thrilled to get him back,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “For him to do that in his first game back is huge for us. I thought he looked really good. This was like a preseason game for him. He jumped off the football. … I think it’s cool to see that happen right off the bat.”

Avril’s sack was his only tackle, but he also deflected a pass. Most important, he showed the kind of rush ability the Seahawks hoped he would when they signed him this offseason. After spending his first five seasons with Detroit, Avril signed a two-year, $13 million contract with Seattle.

“He had a chance for three sacks,” Carroll said. “But he was a little rusty.”

Avril also got to experience the roar of arguably the loudest stadium in the NFL at CenturyLink Field. Chances are he’ll hear it again. Avril has 30 sacks since 2010, 10th-most in the NFL. He also has 17 forced fumbles since 2008, fifth-best in the league.

“The crowd noise is insane here,” Avril said. “That’s what you want. You want that crowd noise. You want the o-lineman not to be able to hear the snap count so you can get that jump on him.”

Avril didn’t hear much from his hometown team during his free agency. The Jaguars elected to avoid spending big money on premium players.

“I didn’t hear anything from them,” Avril said. “But everything happens for a reason. I’m in Seattle having fun with a pretty good team, so I can’t complain.”